Page 43

She tries to hold back a laugh, but fails. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“Never have I ever regretted something.”
I take a sip of my now almost empty glass.
“What specifically?”
“A lot of things. Mainly losing opportunities I should have taken.”
Specifically with her.
But I’ve been busy making up for lost time. I just hope things work out the way I want them to. “What about you?”
“I’d have to say…liking somebody who didn’t like me back.”
“Why is that?”
She hesitates. “I found out the hard way my feelings were one-sided.”
“So he told you he didn’t like you? That’s harsh.”
She hesitates again. “Not directly.”
Not directly? “What do you mean?”
“I overheard him talking with his friends about me. It was…hard to hear.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you, Mia.” I sympathize.
She seems to be laughing to herself. “It’s funny.”
“What is?” I ask.
“The rest of the night I kept thinking, isn’t turning eighteen supposed to be fun and exciting?”
What stupid idiot broke her heart at eighteen, much less on her birthday? I wrack my brain about the possible perpetrators. It could be anyone, but I don’t remember her dating with anyone then. At least publicly. She didn’t date much as a teenager, now that I think back on the past. So who could she?—
Wait. Had she overheard him talking about her with his friends during her party? Could she be talking about me?
Holy shit.
“Mia.” I reach for her.
She shakes her head as though pushing a distant memory to the back of her mind. “It’s my turn again, right?”
“Mia.” I grab her hands in both of mine.
“W-what are you doing?” She’s obviously off guard.
Had I known sooner that she overheard me that night, I wouldn’t have waited this many years to tell her what I’m about to say. “I said those things on your birthday, baby girl, but it wasn’t for the reasons you think.”
Chapter Sixteen
Istruggle to concentrate, but his voice is ringing in my ears. “What did you say?”
“You weren’t supposed to hear that.”
Yeah? Well, too late. I shouldn’t be surprised he figured out who I was talking about. I all but told him. “Doesn’t matter.”